Picture a rugged storyteller who turned the chaos of Vietnam into gripping action novels—meet Jonathan Cain! Writing under a pseudonym, Nicholas Cain crafted the cult-favorite Saigon Commandos series, blending gritty police procedurals with the raw energy of men’s adventure fiction. A Vietnam War veteran turned private detective, Cain’s life is as thrilling as the stories he penned.
His work captured the wild streets of Saigon and the hearts of readers, earning praise for its authenticity and relentless pace. Let’s dive into the life of this enigmatic author who swapped his typewriter for a detective’s badge in Los Angeles!
The Making of Jonathan Cain
Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Nicholas Cain—known to readers as Jonathan Cain—grew up with a spirit of adventure. In 1972, despite a high draft number, he volunteered for the Vietnam War, serving as a military policeman with the 716th MP Battalion in Saigon. His experiences in the sweltering, chaotic city shaped his storytelling. After the war, Cain transitioned to law enforcement, working as a state trooper and city cop in Colorado, honing the real-world grit that would define his novels.
Cain’s writing career began when he fictionalized his Vietnam memoir, Saigon Alley, at the urging of Zebra Books’ editor Michael Seidman. The result was the Saigon Commandos series, launched in 1983, which turned his wartime insights into high-octane fiction. Writing under pseudonyms like Nik Uhernik and Jack Hawkins, Cain proved his versatility across genres.
Jonathan Cain’s Unforgettable Stories
The Saigon Commandos series, spanning 12 books from 1983 to 1986, is Cain’s crown jewel. Set in 1967 Saigon, the series follows Sergeant Mark Stryker, a former Green Beret, and his military police unit as they battle crime in a city teeming with hustlers, Viet Cong sympathizers, and deserters. The debut novel, Saigon Commandos, introduces the 716th MP Battalion’s toughest job: keeping Saigon’s streets from exploding. Readers praised its blend of police procedural precision and action-packed thrills.
Other standout titles include Code Zero Shots Fired, which ramps up the stakes with a murder investigation tied to drugs, and Torturers of Tet, part of a trilogy capturing the 1968 Tet Offensive’s brutal street fighting. Cain’s style—described as the “Hill Street Blues of Vietnam”—weaves authentic MP radio transcripts with vivid characters and a formula of “sex and violence every 15 pages.” He also penned the Little Saigon series, starting with Abel’s War in 1989, exploring Vietnamese immigrant communities in California.
Cain’s knack for blending courage, dark humor, and procedural detail made his work resonate. His novels, while pulpy, offered a raw, unfiltered look at military police life, drawing from his own tour of duty. The 1987 film adaptation of Mad Minute, directed by Clark Henderson, cemented the series’ cult status.
Why Jonathan Cain Matters
Jonathan Cain’s impact lies in his ability to carve a niche in action fiction, blending the grit of war with the structure of crime novels. His Saigon Commandos series not only entertained but also preserved a slice of Vietnam War history through the lens of military police. Fans and critics alike lauded his courageous characters and unexpected humor, making his books a defining military police procedural of the 1980s.
After writing over 30 novels, Cain’s shift to private investigation in Los Angeles added a real-life coda to his action-hero persona. His legacy endures among fans of action-adventure and Vietnam War literature, who still seek out his rare, out-of-print paperbacks. Cain’s work remains a testament to turning lived experience into electrifying stories.
- Born: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
- Key Works: Saigon Commandos, Code Zero Shots Fired, Torturers of Tet, Abel’s War
- Notable: His Saigon Commandos series inspired a 1987 cult classic film.
Snag a copy of Saigon Commandos and dive into Jonathan Cain’s pulse-pounding world of action and intrigue!